A delicious cut of beef tenderloin wrapped in mushrooms, prosciutto and a flaky, buttery puff pastry makes for an elegant Christmas dinner.
Wow! It’s pretty unbelievable that Christmas is just a little over a week away and I haven’t even bothered to start my Christmas shopping yet! Oh wait! I do have a few stocking stuffers ready. Does that count? Just the thought of it makes me wanna start hyperventilating! Then I think about the true meaning of the season which is the birth of my Lord and Savior, Jesus! But it doesn’t stop there. It’s a time to celebrate His birth, His life and His resurrection, which was His ultimate purpose…to redeem all of mankind. Hallelujah!
Every Christmas, as a part of the celebration, we sit down and enjoy a nice, elegant meal with beef usually as the main character. We’ve usually kind of bored with turkey at this point and beef is always a nice touch. From Beef Bourginon to Prime Rib to Beef Short Ribs. This Christmas season, I thought I’d take a stab at Beef Wellington.
I’d always thought it was such a beautifully presented cut of filet of beef, wrapped in mushrooms, proscuitto and puff pastry. Actually anything wrapped in puff pastry always gets my attention! Oh the flaky butteryness (Is this a word? I’m going with no.) of it all! It all comes together with a delicious gravy that uses Brandy as a base along with beef broth and heavy whipping cream. Oh boy is this ever delicious! So if you’re looking for something to really impress your Christmas guests this year, here’s a delicious idea to try. Say Grace and enjoy!
Beef Wellington
Ingredients
- MUSHROOM MIXTURE:
- 24 oz. white button mushrooms
- 2 shallots peeled chopped in chunks
- 4 cloves garlic peeled
- 2 sprigs fresh thyme destemmed
- 2 T. unsalted butter
- 2 T. extra-virgin olive oil
- Kosher salt to taste
- black pepper to taste
- BEEF:
- 1 3-pound center cut beef tenderloin, trimmed
- Extra-virgin olive oil
- Kosher salt
- Black pepper
- 6 oz. prosciutto sliced thin
- 6 sprigs of fresh thyme destemmed
- 2 T. Coarse Ground Dijon
- Flour for rolling out puff pastry
- 1 and 1/2 sheets puff pastry thawed
- 1 egg lightly beaten
- PEPPERCORN GRAVY:
- 2 T. olive oil
- 2 shallots sliced
- 2 cloves garlic peeled and smushed
- 3 sprigs fresh thyme destemmed
- 1 c. brandy
- 32 oz. beef stock
- 2 c. heavy cream
- 2 T. Coarse Ground Dijon
- 3.5 oz. green peppercorns in brine drained
Instructions
- MUSHROOM MIXTURE: Add mushrooms, shallots, garlic, and thyme to a food processor and pulse until fine.
- Add butter and olive oil to a large saute pan over medium heat.
- Add the shallot and mushroom mixture and saute for 15 minutes or until most of the liquid is evaporated.
- Season lightly with salt and pepper to taste. Place in a cheesecloth and squeeze out any excess liquid. Set aside.
- BEEF: Tie the tenderloin in 4 places with kitchen twine.
- Drizzle with olive oil and season with salt and pepper and sear in a large skillet on all sides including the ends.
- Overlap prosciutto on a sheet of plastic wrap to form a rectangle that is large enough to cover the filet.
- Cover evenly with a thin layer of the mushroom mixture.
- Sprinkle with fresh thyme leaves.
- After searing the beef, remove from the heat, cut off the twine and cover with Dijon mustard on all sides.
- Allow to cool slightly, then roll up in the mushroom covered prosciutto using the plastic wrap to make it tight and twist the ends to seal it and hold it in a log shape.
- Set in the refrigerator for 30 minutes.
- On a floured surface, roll the puff pastry out overlapping 1.5 sheets pressing them together. Remove beef from fridge and remove plastic.
- Place the beef top side own in the center of the pastry and fold over the longer sides , brushing with egg wash to seal. Flip over so the seam is down.
- Brush the top of the pastry with the beaten egg and make a diamond patern with a paring knife across the top.
- Bake for 40 to 45 minutes or until pastry is golden brown and beef is about 125 degrees F. Remove from oven and rest before cutting into thick slices.
- GRAVY: Start the gravy while the beef is in the oven.
- Add olive oil to pan after removing the beef. Add shallots, garlic, and thyme.
- Saute for a couple minutes, then, off of the heat, add brandy and torch it using a long kitchen match.
- After flame dies down (5-10 minutes), return to the heat, add stock and reduce by about half. Strain out solids and add heavy cream and dijon.
- Reduce by half again and then turn off heat and add peppercorns.
- Pour gravy over each individual slices. Say Grace and enjoy!
Recipe adapted from Tyler Florence’s Ultimate Beef Wellington
Hi Felesha. I’ve never tried Beef Wellington before but it sounds and looks delicious!
Thanks April! It’s always looking daunting to me but this recipe is a breeze! Thanks for stopping by!!
This one’s definitely for the meat lovers in my family!
For sure Christine! Thanks for stopping by!!
Ahh I’ve always wanted to try beef wellington, but I’m kind of intimidated! This recipe is going on my cooking goals list! 🙂
This recipe is a breeze and the flavor is outta this world!! Thanks for visiting!! 🙂
I made beef Wellington for Christmas, too! But I like your recipe even better—adding prosciutto is a fabulous idea! Pinning!
Hi Liz! I think the prosciutto makes a nice barrier to keep the puffed pastry dry. I’ve seen some even go a step further and use phyllo dough in addition to the prosciutto for this very reason! Thanks for stopping by!
Your Beef Wellington looks spectacular! Moist and just perfect restaurant quality ! Would love a slice right now 🙂
Thanks Oana! I’ve always wanted to make it and now it’s a keeper! 🙂